Customer Reviews

Trucks

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I've read some of the reviews here, and this seems to be one of those polarizing films that people either love or hate. I bought it a couple of years ago, sight unseen, and have to say that I thought it was pretty good. Usually, movies that basically have one set can be pretty tedious, but this one worked well, and while I do recall there being one minor character that was irritating (one of the "tourists" trapped in the diner/gas station along with everyone else), the main characters, the Dad and his kid(s), were likeable; and the gal who they help out gives the story a nice lift. I don't know, I guess I'm easy to please, but it seems to me that if a movie can get you to that point where you care about the characters, and they've put them in a spot where you're rooting for them to overcome their particular "troubles" - in this case an interesting mix of homicidal trucks - then it works.

I recommend this to folks who like Sci-Fi, who like horror films that are more than just slasher flicks, and for anyone who wants to revisit some plucky and personable people from time to time...and just have some fun!

As previous reviewers have mentioned, "TRUCKS" is a remake of 1986's "Maximum Overdrive" (which I also purchased on Amazon). I liked "TRUCKS" better than "Maximum Overdrive" because it seemed as though there was more action in than its predecessor. I liked it even though the acting was deadpan- and the ending I liked much more than "Maximum Overdrive" (no spoilers). If you are a huge fan of Big Rigs and Trucks in general (A Western Star tractor is the lead truck)you will like this movie; if you are a fan of sci-fi movies you might want to watch. However, it's not a horror movie (compared to movies like "The Exorcist"), so you horror movie buffs might be disappointed; if your looking for famous actors/ any good acting for that matter this isn't the movie for you. However, the main characters in this movie are the trucks themselves, so it's not a total loss. It should keep you interested for 1 1/2...

This movie is an updating of 1986's "Maximum Overdrive", which was based on the short story that this is based on, with the story's title being the name of this movie. Timothy Busfield (the only big name in this one) stars as Ray, a man who has moved to the near-Area 51-town of Lunar. He and his son, Logan (Brendan Fletcher) are trying to make a new life for themselves. However, that will have to be put on hold for the time being, as driverless trucks are attacking the truck stop he works at. Because of the trucks, many people are stranded there, including a former hippie, a newlywed couple, a military man and his daughter, and two truckers. They must band together to survive, and find out the cause of this threat.

Based upon the Stephen King story from his "Night Shift" collection, the movie is, agreeably, not bad for a made-for-TV movie, as it is quite chilling in a few scenes (The Tonka truck attacking an innocent mailman, and the spill generator in a control truck inflating a radiation suit which then grabs an axe and takes care of the drivers). Tim Busfield is good as the hero, and the supporting actors, being first time actors, get a passing grade from me. It is rumored that this was given a PG-13 upon video release, and then got more gore to bump it up to an R, and regrettably, that cut is not included. The movie is presented in widescreen, despite being a TV movie. Little grain is shown, and the print is quite clean. The extras fall flat, however, just being trailers for "Soemtimes They Come Back...Again", "The Tommyknockers", and the movie itself. Trimark does make some good DVD releases,. Unfourtunately, This isn't one of them. Good try, though.

TRUCKS
(1997, R)

Ray: Timothy Busfield
Hope: Brenda Bakke
Trucker Bob: Aidan Devine
Thad: Roman Podhora
Jack: Jay Brazeau
Logan: Brendan Fletcher

Director: Chris Thomson
Writers: Stephen King (short story), Brian Taggert (teleplay)

MOVIE: 4
VIDEO: 5
AUDIO: 5

EXTRAS: 3
MENUS: 4
OVERALL: 4.5

I know it's a remake of "Maximum Overdrive"(Also great movie), but what do you expect. Read the cover. It must be just my love of cheesy horror flicks. Sometimes a corny movie like this can be better than a slasher/blood and gore movie. When I saw this, I was not scared. I just laughed at it. Very predictable. If you want a horror film that is not scary and just plain fun, watch this movie. Like I said, GREAT CHEESE MOVIE!!

not only because this movie sucks so badly, but because i actually bought the thing. A suggestion: get the ORIGINAL Maximum Overdrive, based off the same Stephen King story this one is. MO is much better; in fact, it's one of my favorite horror movies of all-time, and I've seen alot of them.

Overall, if you're a fan of over-the-top campy acting, a storyline that doesn't work as well as the original, and overall a movie that just plain sucks, then my friend, this one's for you. If you have even one brain cell in your body, then don't buy this Ford P.O.S. (if you can tell me what movie that's from, I'll personally pay you $20...) You'll be glad you didn't.

Well... at first my friend L-train and i were renting Trucks for a good laugh... we found ourselves at the end of the movie hidin under blankets because we were so scared. Just emagine your truck coming to life and locking you in the back! Freaky... well my favorite parts would have to be when the old hippie knocks the druck cowboy over the head with a bottle and says peace man... that shows his character really well... but my overall favorite scene would have to be when the tonka truck kills the mailman... pure genious... who would ever think of that? it was amazing... the blood was so real and gory... it was my fav! Well I still ponder why there isn't a Trucks 2... maybe someday we will be lucky enough...

I thought these two films were great, I would love for my car to come alive, but not to kill. I mean these two movies took me away from reality, I love scifi. I am a big fan of machines doing things on there own because it's impossible. My favorite scenes are, the trucker who got trapped by his own rig and it drove off, the scene where the guy fixed a truck and then it killed him, and my all time fave was the scene with the chemical guys and when they get killed by there own chemical suit filled with air, then the truck drives off with the guy dead in the driver's seat. The air filled suit coming to life to kill was AWSOME!!!!!!
I like these because there are diffrent, you don't see things like this everyday, and I SO HOPE THEY MAKE ANOTHER ONE!!! MY ONLY WISH IS THAT THEY PUT CARS IN IT ALSO, NOT JUST TRUCKS, AND MORE DIFFRENT SCENES OF MURDER BY MACHINES PLEASE. Thank you

Make no mistake, "Trucks" is pure bad horror movie. It's so awful, and so stupid, it's a pure delight!

Timothy Busfield ("thirtysomething," "The West Wing") is the only big name in the movie, as a gas pumper who's moved to a small town with his son. Busfield's Ray and a host of local yokels (a nose-pierced teenage girl, the old war veteran and diner cook, a coupla hick truck drivers, a mystical ex-hippie, the strong female presence, a bickering married couple and an Army guy who served in Area 51) are trapped in a diner as a bunch of trucks without drivers storm the place.

It's best to watch this movie with a sense of humor, and surrounding yourself with a bunch of sarcastic friends will help even more. It's pure hoke, and it isn't hard to imagine Stephen King groaning in his seat-- or maybe even guffawing as "Trucks" takes cinema corn to an all new low. It's breathtaking in its sheer awfulness.

Thing to watch for: The little toy truck with big plans for an innocent mailman. Only problem with the movie is that this truck shows up only once, but maybe that's just leaving room for the sequel. We can only hope.

I guess I didn't think this movie was as terrible as everyone else did. The blood and gore reminded me of strawberry pie, and the part with the mail carrier was incongruous, but it kept me interested. I think the movie should have tightened in on the cafe and dropped the other scenes, except for the junkyard scene. The acting wasn't bad; the young boy was actually pretty believable. The special effects stunk, but I didn't hate it. It's not a movie I will watch often, but it was okay.

To tell the truth, the three stars were for the ending. (No spoilers, don't worry!) Suffice it to say it wasn't one of your Hollywood "and they lived happily ever after" endings. I liked that.

I don't agree with most people about this movie. I think that it was a toned down version of Maximum Overdrive, but still worth watching. If a person is completely into possessed inanimate objects, this is definitely a movie worth watching.